Cold Life
by Haugh Wards
Summary: A Muggle Lawyer discovers an abused child in Privet Drive on Halloween 1988. Will the child escape?


_**October 30th 1988**_

Billie Coltrane was driving her car through Little Whinging. Billie's speech at the Bridgewater Hotel was still running through her head. She was trying to get into Surrey County Council for the position she was hoping to get. She was hoping to be a councillor. She was now recollecting her speech about child abuse and neglect as a horrific local mother had violently abused her two young children.

The young children she had talked about in her speech were Tommy and Jane Whetseld, who were treated to little, if any food or attention for a period of ten and eight years. Tommy, the eldest at ten finally found his voice when their mother finally went too far and nearly killed Jane. Dolores Whetseld(the mother), was brought to trial, her lawyers wanted her to plead insanity which had brought a lot of disgust to the Defence and herself. Even the judge had whispered to Billie that if he could, he would have had Dolores hanged if it was still practiced. She was declared sane though and was now serving a life sentence for up to forty years. Billie was the Prosecution for the case. If there was something Billie hated more in her life than War it was child abusers. She found herself wishing that she could find every abusive parent or guardian in the world. But they would never be exposed if the victim wouldn't use their voice.

Lost in her thoughts while driving, she suddenly heard a car honking at her, but it was in front of her. Quickly and with abrupt precision she pulled her car out of the way. She continued her driving but now with more focus. She took a quick glance at the street sign of the road she was now in.

"PRIVET DRIVE"

She started driving down the road, unaware of an unusual noise coming from beneath the bonnet of her BMW. Just outside Number Four Privet Drive, her car suddenly gave a loud splutter and gave up. Exasperated, she turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. She turned the key again, and the engine gave a brief start and died. She tried this for another thirty seconds, and still nothing would avail of her car.

Tired of trying, she decided to try and get help instead of being stuck here achieving nothing. She looked around to see which house she would ask to use the phone in. She looked to her right to see that Number Five was for sale. The curtains were missing from the window. She knew that this meant that the owners had already moved out. She looked to the left, noticed that Number Four looked occupied as their own Vauxhall was in the driveway.

She got out of her car, locking it on the way, knowing she had important paperwork that couldn't be seen or stolen. She walked her way up the drive, admiring the landscape of the front lawn. The owners knew how to keep their front garden look perfect. They had the right ornaments. A nice red-hatted gnome stood by the front door, it's hand in the air as if saying hello. The lawn was impeccably cut, emitting a strong smell of fresh grass. She felt something nice about the area. Maybe, she thought, maybe one day she would move to this area. Out of her apartment, spending a bit of time in the open. But she spent so much time devoted to her job as an important prosecutor that she didn't have much time for outside activities.

She reached the door. She brought the knocker to her hand and hit it against the door. She heard the knock reverberating through the house. Billie stood there, hoping for someone to come to the door, and be pleasant enough to let her use the phone.

Billie then heard something. A voice from the other side of the door. A sound of an annoyed loud grunt. The sound of large feet hitting the floor. Billie had really sharp hearing. Thinking this person would come to the door, she tried to prepare herself for whoever this was.

"FREAK!" the voice suddenly shouted making Billie nearly jump out of her skin. "Get the door and be quick about it."

Billie felt scared. The door opened to reveal a small, extremely thin boy with small, round glasses. He was wearing clothes that were far too big for him, she told herself. He had a bruise mark on his forehead, and it seemed to Billie that the child had trouble breathing.

"Hello," Billie started, observing the child. "Um.. can I speak to your parents, young man? I would like some help." The boy disappeared, only for a horse-faced woman to now appear at the door.

"What do you want?" the woman said irritably. "We're watching the news, so please speed it up."

Billie didn't like this woman at all. She seemed like a nasty piece of work. She thought about saying "sorry, I'll ask someone else living near" but something told her there was something unseen in this house that has to be seen so she decided to ask here.

"Sorry to trouble you, madam," she said showing her warmest smile. "But my car has broken up out here and I was wondering if I could use your phone to call the nearest mechanic."

The woman looked like she was going to refuse, but once she had noticed her visitor owned a BMW she smiled. "Yes," she said, coldness disappearing within a split second. "Come on in."

Billie stepped in, taking in the surroundings as she stepped in. The hallway was rather clean, not a spot of dirt anywhere. "You're house looks lovely, madam," she told the woman.

"Thank you," the woman said. "Call me Petunia, please. That man there is my husband Vernon," she pointed towards the fat man. "And this is my son, Dudley." She said putting her arms around the large boy pigging on the couch.

Billie looked for the boy that had appeared at the door. "Where is your other son?" she questioned.

Petunia stiffened. What would she say about that _freak_, she wondered. "He is in his room. Meeting strangers upsets him, so we keep him upstairs." She and Vernon use that as an excuse if an adult sees him and wonders where he is. "He's not my son," she paused. "He's my nephew." She almost smacked herself for saying that. She had just admitted she was related to him.

Billie noticed the woman's face when she called him her nephew. She looked angered, deranged for a moment but it quickly subsided.

"My name is Billie Coltrane," Billie said shaking hands with them. Dudley gave her a strange look. "Anyway, where's your phone?"

"I'll show you," Dudley quickly said. He got up from his seat and grabbed Billie's hand, dragging her to the kitchen.

"There it is," he said pulling her over to the phone, which was out of Petunia's and Vernon's sight.

"Billie Coltrane?" he said looking at her. "You're the famous lawyer?"

Billie smiled a Yes at him.

Dudley's face changed. He looked serious, glancing around quickly to make sure he wasn't overheard.

"Please get help," he pleaded, barely a whisper.

Billie looked at the eight year old questioningly.

"My cousin," he begged quietly. "He's lived here for seven years since his parents were killed. They make him do all the work and Dad beats him on a regular basis. Mom is always yelling at him. I hit him too, but only because I'm scared to stand up for him."

"Hey, Dudley," Vernon called. "The boxing game is on now."

Dudley gave Billie one last look, mouthing 'please help' before running into the sitting room.

Billie was visibly shocked, but she knew the only way to get through this was to carry on for the moment at what she was here to do. She spoke to her mechanic and left the house.

**The Next Day...**

Billie walked into her office. She held board meetings on Monday's once a month with the mayor and a couple members from city council.

The mayor was already here with the councillors. Good. She thought as she sat down.

"Well," Councillor Mel Murphy started the conversation. "Do you have the files."

Billie couldn't be more grateful for their timing to the meeting. She pulled the files out from her case. "Here are the transcript, information and results of the Sigland Trial, the Mosely Trial, the Bose Trial, and the Waters Trial."

Councillor Nina Jones took the files in her hand and put them into the mayor's case. "Thank you Billie," she said smiling at her. She noticed Billie's troubled look. That look meant that she had news for them, and it wasn't good.

"What's on your mind, hon?" she asked her.

Billie looked around at the people in the room. "Okay, I have a story to tell. And it pains me to tell it." The mayor sat up straighter. The mayor knew this phrase meant that she had found another neglected and hurt child.

**Later On**

Harry Potter was making dinner for the Dursley's. Today he had weeded the garden, cut the lawn, washed and cleaned Vernon's car, forced to clean up Vernon's puke from when he came home late in the morning from the bar, and to clean up the mess in the small shed outside. He was completely exhausted. Opening the oven to take the chicken out, he forgot to put on the oven mitts, being exhausted as he was. Upon touching the hot large plate he sprang back in horror, nursing his fingers. In that brief moment of nursing his fingers a loud smash was heard. Harry looked forward, feeling scared. The bowl holding the chicken fell out, smashing on the ground. Vernon came into the room, his face incandescent with fury. Roaring insults at Harry, he grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and took him into the hall, and tossed him into his cupboard under the stairs. "I hope that broke your neck, you pathetic freak!"

He didn't notice three people at the door who had seen and heard the whole thing until he heard her voice. "Mr Dursley, is that any way to treat family."

Vernon Dursley paled. He had been seen by an outsider, and not just an outsider. He'd read about her cases. Dreaded her appearance the other night. Dreaded her finding out. He turned to look at Billie Coltrane, standing at the door with two uniformed policemen.

"We got a warrant to search your home Mr Dursley," Billie said stepping in with a further two policemen who were behind her.

Once there was further evidence of abuse found Vernon was forced out of the house on handcuffs. Then Petunia followed, screaming out "THAT FREAK CAUSED THIS!" over and over as she was led on handcuffs to the police car with Vernon.

Billie went over to the cupboard door and unlocked it, letting Harry out. She didn't want to let Harry out until his abusers were away from the chance of hurting him. She didn't know why it came to mind, but the case of the Sylvia Likens Murder reminded her of this. One of the most horrific crimes she had ever heard of in her life. Shaking off the thought she told Harry he would be taken to hospital to see if he had any injuries. Harry nodded, the movement showing his scar. Billie asked him about it. He told her it was from a car crash. It was how his parents died.

This night definitely felt like Halloween!

**This story has been written to try and advise anyone reading it to help someone have a voice. Child abuse is still out there, and it is disgusting. Help Someone With Their Voice.**


End file.
